why did he go madd? Syd Barrett, Founder of Pink Floyd, Dies Syd Barrett, the troubled genius who co-founded Pink Floyd but spent his last years in reclusive anonymity, has died, a spokeswoman for the band said Tuesday. He was 60. http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/11/D8IPS12O0.html
Yeah, too much acid apparently; he got completely paranoid as a result; although I've always wondered to what extent drug abuse was a cause of his madness, rather than a catalyst.
Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun. Shine on you crazy diamond. Now theres a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky. Shine on you crazy diamond. You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom, blown on the Steel breeze. Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger, you legend, You martyr, and shine! You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon. Shine on you crazy diamond. Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light. Shine on you crazy diamond. Well you wore out your welcome with random precision, rode on the Steel breeze. Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, You prisoner, and shine!
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Syd Barrett, the eccentric guitarist who founded Pink Floyd but later left the music business to live quietly and somewhat reclusively, has died at the age of 60, according to a spokeswoman for the band. A spokeswoman for Pink Floyd told the Press Association: "He died very peacefully a couple of days ago. There will be a private family funeral." The singer and guitarist, born Roger Keith Barrett on January 6, 1946, founded the band in 1965 with Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. (Its name was derived from two American bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.) He wrote many of the early hits for the avant-garde rock band, including the 1967 album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and the band's first hit singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play." His songs were odd and charming combinations of childlike lyrics and swirling melodies, often augmented with strange arrangements. The titles alluded to space, the occult and sometimes nonsense: "Astronomy Domine," "Lucifer Sam," "Chapter 24." Consider some lyrics of "Bike," from "Piper": "I know a mouse, and he hasn't got a house / I don't know why, I call him Gerald / He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse." Pink Floyd, taken under the wing of Beatles engineer Norman Smith, had early success, but Barrett, suffering from mental problems and heavy drug use, started demonstrating erratic behavior, including catatonia during concerts. He left the band in 1968. He was replaced by David Gilmour, who had joined the band as its fifth member earlier that year. Barrett put out two noted solo albums, "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett," both in 1970. In 1975, during the recording of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" album, Barrett showed up unannounced at the studio -- ironically, during the recording of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," a song about him. He had become overweight and shaved his eyebrows; the other members didn't recognize him at first. "Wish You Were Here" was dedicated to Barrett. Much of British psychedelic music was influenced by Barrett, and a number of musicians have credited him, according to Allmusic.com. Barrett had since lived in anonymity in the eastern English city of Cambridge. According to The Associated Press, he suffered from diabetes. The spokeswoman said a low-key, private funeral would be held. She did not disclose the cause of death. Syd Barrett, one of the original members of legendary rock group Pink Floyd, has died at the age of 60 from complications arising from diabetes. The guitarist was the band's first creative force and an influential songwriter, writing their early hits. He joined Pink Floyd in 1965 but left three years later after one album. He went on to live as a recluse, with his mental deterioration blamed on drugs. "He died very peacefully a couple of days ago," the band's spokeswoman said. "There will be a private family funeral." A statement from Pink Floyd said: "The band are naturally very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death. "Syd was the guiding light of the early band line-up and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire." He was born Roger Barrett in Cambridge and met future bandmates Roger Waters and David Gilmour at school. He originally busked folk songs around Europe with Gilmour before enrolling at the Camberwell School of Art in London. Upon joining the Pink Floyd Sound - as they were originally known - he composed See Emily Play and Arnold Layne, both from 1967, as well as most of their album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. 'Mental breakdown' But his drug intake soon began to affect his role in the band. He would often be seen standing on stage with his guitar dangling from his neck, staring into the crowd. At one stage, he was unhappy about appearing on Top of the Pops and walked out of a session recording in July 1967 after "freaking out". "That really was the first sign of his complete mental breakdown," producer Richard Buskin wrote later. "He never did come back into the studio any more after that." With Barrett's behaviour becoming increasingly erratic, Dave Gilmour was brought in to the band in February 1968. Barrett's departure was announced that April and he soon started work on the first of his two solo albums. Reclusive life The band's biggest-selling releases, Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, emerged in the post-Barrett era, with the band selling an estimated 200 million albums worldwide. Just as Pink Floyd were about to achieve worldwide success, Barrett retreated from public life to return to Cambridge. Little was known about his whereabouts for 20 years until it became known he was living with his mother. Band members said his breakdown may have happened even if he had not used drugs - but the pressure of fame along with the substances probably acted as a catalyst. 'Influence continues' Barrett's biographer Tim Willis paid tribute to the guitarist's legacy, saying: "I don't think we would have the David Bowie we have today if it wasn't for Syd. "Arnold Layne is still one of Bowie's favourites. He sang it the other day, I believe. And in fact Bowie was very much a kind of clone of Syd in the early years," he told BBC Radio Five Live. "His influence is still going. New bands discover him all the time, there's always a Syd revival going on. "If it wasn't the punks, it was REM, and I'm sure that Arnold Layne and Emily Play as pop songs will live forever."
"There are many stories about Barrett's bizarre and intermittently psychotic behaviour - many of which are undoubtedly apocryphal, although some are known to be true. According to Roger Waters, Barrett came into what was to be their last practice session with a new song he had dubbed "Have You Got It, Yet?" The song seemed simple enough when he first presented it to his bandmates, but it soon became impossibly difficult to learn: as they were practicing it, Barrett kept changing the arrangement. He would then play it again, with the arbitrary changes, and sing "Have you got it yet?" After more than an hour of trying to "get it," they realised they never would."
You're correct in what you say about him, but you left out that he was one of the best performers in Rock and Roll history. From 'Hammer to Fall' by Queen ...... You don't waste no time at all Don't hear the bell but you answer the call It comes to you as to us all We're just waiting For the hammer to fall ************** Sounds a bit like trading to me.